Community Corner

Route 1 Jughandle Closure Pilot Deferred Until Aug. 1

Public input played a large role in the decision, state officials said.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation has announced it will defer a pilot program to close left hand turns and U- turns off Route 1 into Princeton at Washington Road and Harrison Street until Aug. 1. 

The plan had been scheduled to begin in mid-March, but concerns raised by the public have convinced the state to wait, DOT officials said on Thursday.

“After meeting with Princeton business leaders, including David Newton, vice president of Palmer Square Management LLC and Jack Morrison, president of JM Group, where they discussed concerns about the potential impact of the pilot during a traditionally robust period for business, I believe that it is in the best interest of the community to move the pilot program to start August 1,” said NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson. “The concerns and suggestions of residents who raised logistical and other issues at two recent public meetings also contributed significantly to this decision.”

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Earlier this week, Princeton Township Deputy Mayor Liz Lempert said officials from Princeton and other towns along Route 1 had asked the state to delay the test, noting if DOT monitors traffic volumes before the University Medical Center at Princeton moves to Route 1 in Plainsboro in May, the baseline numbers will be inaccurate. 

The program, which has been designed to reduce congestion on Route 1, had been scheduled to begin in mid-March.

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State officials said the decision to defer the start of the pilot program followed two well-attended public meetings in West Windsor and Princeton Borough, as well as a recent meeting with members of the Princeton business community and others.

Deferring the pilot program provides time for NJDOT to address issues raised at the meetings and also allows motorists to settle into new traffic patterns that will accompany the May 22 opening of the new  University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro. 

The new hospital is located along Route 1 just north of the Harrison Street intersection. The existing hospital on Witherspoon Street in Princeton will close when the new one opens.  

Hospital officials were consulted before the decision was reached to defer the pilot program, which is expected to benefit emergency vehicles as they travel to the hospital. Peak-period congestion tends to decrease somewhat in summer months because it is a popular time to take vacations.

The pilot program is planned to run for 12 weeks. Temporary barriers will be used to implement the program.  NJDOT will collect traffic volume and trip-time data at numerous locations in Princeton Township, Princeton Borough, West Windsor and Plainsboro prior to and during the trial period to evaluate impacts.

If the left-turn restrictions do not reduce congestion on Route 1 or create unacceptable impacts on local roads, NJDOT will terminate the trial and restore all traffic movements.  If the pilot program proves to be a success, the restrictions will be made permanent.


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